Bleedin' typical!

Why do boilers never break down in the summer?

Ours has gone on the blink on the coldest day of the year so far. It's so cold in the house that I can see my own breath! I'm also high on caffeine, as I've drunk so much coffee trying to get warm and I am using the hob to try and generate a bit of heat in the kitchen.

JohnC

The law that belongs to sod!

We had exactly the same 2 years ago but a week before Christmas. Thankfully it was sorted in time but it needed a new boiler.

Bob Sacamano

Re: Bleedin' typical!

Generally, because people switch off their central heating in the summer and it sits idle for 6 months.

Michael

Ours is currently gulping down the latest £400 of heating oil I've bought and making little difference to the temperature in the house. I'm going to have to get some of that external insulation sorted.

Big Blue

Had that in an old house during coldest February in memory when boys were about 5 years old. Much coal was burned on the fire. British Gas put a new boiler in FOC as the existing one was being maintained by them and then when it failed they said it was installed incorrectly and they shouldn't have been maintaining it. I gave them the choice of refunding me five years of maintenance charges plus interest or putting a new boiler in. After a fortnight of their area Director trying to tell me to fuck off Marlene sent a picture of my kids in the snow to the CEO (my then sister-in-law worked for them so gave me his e-mail) who apparently opened it at home, his wife saw the kids in the snow and read about the lack of a boiler and we had a new boiler installed two days later.

Re: Bleedin' typical!

Generally, because people switch off their central heating in the summer and it sits idle for 6 months.

Like you Bob, ours is on all year long.

Martin

At least it gives you something different to be angry about Simon, variety is the spice of life and all that....

Our boiler is on all year as well.

simonp

Ours is only the fan unit, an easy fix, but a couple of days' wait for the part to turn up.

The house seems to be telling me something recently. The guttering on the house and the garage both sprung leaks recently, the former of which was right above the plastic box with the gas meter and drove us barmy at night with the loud tapping noise.

Then the loft hatch jammed shut and I was getting it in the ear 'ole about the Xmas decorations all being up there and her wanting them down.

The cooker is on its last legs, but thankfully still providing great service as a room heater!

The second freezer we have in the utility room is making some really loud noises that I don't like and will be getting replaced come the new year sales.

The extractor fan in the downstairs loo is making a similarly close-to-death rattle.

Re: Bleedin' typical!

Generally, because people switch off their central heating in the summer and it sits idle for 6 months.

Like you Bob, ours is on all year long.

We don't have it on all the time - just low for an hour or so in the morning to keep it ticking over.

Racing Teatray

That's boring. Reminds me too that I need to get ours serviced.

Tim

A couple of years back we ran out of heating oil between Christmas & New Year - because I was relying on the gauge at the side of the oil tank without knowing how to get a proper reading.

We had to get a delivery and the system bled at the worst time of year!

PG

Every time we have anybody out to fix stuff domestically, they always tell me that they don't make stuff like they used to.

Chris M Wanted a V-10

In one of the cold spells towards the start of March this year, our CH packed up.... 3-way valve failure again. The next day I bought a new one, drained the system on the Saturday (I remember it well, the day I had to pick GOK up from the dealer) and had it all working again by Sunday. I dread the thought if having to get the boiler replaced; there's a non-return valve in the CH system close to the boiler and for the past 2 years it rattles away like hell when CH and hot water are both being heated simultaneously. However it's so inaccesible that it will need a proper plumber in to remove it

Bob Sacamano

3 way valves are a common failure. Before we got a new boiler we had a couple replaced. Fortunately, we've go the British Gas service plan and it took them about half an hour to replace them.

Frank Bullitt

Ours was serviced a couple of weeks ago, the diaphragm had a small leak in it so a replacement part was put in a few days later, I suspect it wouldn't have lasted the winter

3 way valves are a common failure. Before we got a new boiler we had a couple replaced. Fortunately, we've go the British Gas service plan and it took them about half an hour to replace them.

That was a component specifically mentioned as "cheap and crappy today" by the boiler engineer when he came to replace our three-way valve a few weeks ago. He says they used to last 20 years, now lucky to get 10.

simonp

Ours went a few years back. I went to one of those Plumbase type gaffs not hoping for much, but the chap found the exact same part in a dusty box on the shelf behind him. Had it all fixed within a few hours. I was planning on replacing this fan myself, but when I took a look at the boiler both the top of the burner and the flue needed removing. I was too far out of my comfort zone once I saw that! Possibly breaking some laws, too...

TreVoR

Our boiler is used for hot water in the summer. It comes on if needed for heat but it generally doesn't have to. The boiler is reliable as it is about 20 odd years old.

The multi fuel has been on 24/7 for a couple of weeks now and keeps the lounge, kitchen, two bedrooms and the hot water lovely. This means he boiler isn't knocking itself out. I still have 500 litres of the 2500 litres from February left. I've never left this late to refill the oil tank.

The extensions have cavity insulation. I'm not sure about the cavities in the original house. The loft has a reasonable amount. The main thing is the huge windows allow a lot of solar gain on a nice day. They are marginally draughty being timber, so it's swings and roundabouts. I don't heat the parts of the house we don't use past number 1 on the thermostatic valves.